Why You Can Trust CNET Get Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Elements 10 for $72.99 shipped
This powerful photo/video-editing bundle has a list price of $150. And it actually comes in a box, for those who like their software old-school.
In case you missed it last week, I wrote a little treatise on why I'm returning my new iPad and buying a Kindle Fire. Apparently the story had some legs; it got picked up on Yahoo, and last night CNBC invited me to appear on "Street Signs" today (which airs live at 2 p.m. ET). Fun!
There was, of course, plenty of cheapskate mentality fueling that, er, fire, so you might be wondering if I've flipped my lid with today's deal. I mean, seriously: pay...for software?!
I know, it's crazy talk. But hear me out. For a limited time, Buy.com has Adobe Photoshop/Premiere Elements 10 for $74.99 shipped. Actual boxed software, too, not a download.
In case the naming convention isn't immediately clear, this is a bundle containing Photoshop Elements 10 and Premiere Elements 10. List price for the two: $149.99.
Photoshop Elements is like the home version of Photoshop, the 800-pound gorilla of image editors. It's designed to help you organize, manage, fix, enhance, and share your photos.
Now, I'm the first to point out that you can accomplish Photoshop-level image editing with free tools like GIMP and Paint.NET. However, those programs have fairly steep learning curves; they're not what I would call consumer-friendly. Photoshop Elements has a learning curve, too, but it's definitely more guided, more intuitive.
OK, then, what about Picasa? Google's photo manager has some basic image-editing tools, but, man, it's one confusing piece of software (IMHO). I think if you're serious about tweaking your photos, you might be happier with a program like Photoshop Elements. If you want to learn more, read CNET's Photoshop Elements 10 review.
As for Premiere Elements, it's a pretty powerful consumer-level video editor. With it you can import clips from just about any source -- phone, camcorder, Webcam, DVD -- and turn your footage into a polished, professional-looking movie. Here's CNET's review of Premiere Elements 10.
Open-source alternatives? I haven't found anything close. And Microsoft's appallingly limited Windows Live Movie Maker barely scratches the surface of what Premiere can do.
Obviously this bundle won't appeal to everyone, but for less than the price of one of these highly rated tools, you can buy both. Thoughts?
Bonus deal: One last note (for now) on the Kindle Fire: although that incredibly awesome $139 deal from last week is gone, you can still get a refurbished Kindle Fire for $169 shipped. Of course, you can also get a refurbished Barnes & Noble Nook Color for $135 shipped. Decisions, decisions!